When the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were announced, one of the big new features was the inclusion of an “Always On Display”. This is meant to help save you some battery life, while being able to glance at your phone to see notifications without actually picking up the phone or tapping the screen.
However, the implementation wasn’t as great as we were hoping, and Apple is taking the time to start adding new options. At launch, the only setting you could change was to simply turn the Always On Display off or on. With iOS 16.2, you now have the ability to turn off the wallpaper when the Always On Display is active, and you can have notifications turned off. Both of these are toggles in the Settings app, giving you a bit of flexibility.
You Need iOS 16.2 Before You Can Customize the Always-On Display
Before you can go through the necessary steps to customize the Always-On Display on the iPhone 14 Pro, you’ll first need to make sure that you have iOS 16.2 installed. Here’s how you can check for an update and install the iOS 16.2 release on your iPhone:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Tap General.
Select Software Updates.
Wait a few moments and you should see a prompt to Download and Install the latest release of iOS. We highly recommend making sure that you are connected to Wi-Fi in order to ensure that your internet connection is reliable enough to download the update. From there, simply install the update once it’s downloaded, and you might want to keep a charger nearby, just in case.
How to Customize the Always-On Display on the iPhone 14 Pro
The Always-On Display is a feature that Android phones have had for years. It makes it easier than ever to glance at your phone and see what notifications are vying for your attention. Plus, with the all-new customizable Lock Screen with iOS 16, you’ll even be able to see your widgets and the clock.
Open the Settings app on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Scroll down and tap Display & Brightness.
Scroll down and tap Always On Display.
Tap the toggles next to the following options:
Show Wallpaper
Show Notifications
In the top left corner, tap the < Back button.
Instead of having your Lock Screen wallpaper dimmed, this new option ditches the wallpaper altogether, only showing a plain black background. The apparent goal is to try and help extend the battery life of your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max, as there have been some complaints about subpar battery with the Always On Display enabled.
Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.
He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.
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